Why The Neutralist? The term Isolationist implies a narrow Fortress America outlook and is used as an epithet. The term Neutralist does not indicate someone hiding out from the world. No one calls the Swiss isolationists. The Wilsonian world view is old, tired and wrong. Our interventions have been less and less successful and now the failure can no longer be covered up.

Saturday, October 07, 2017

House Bill to End War "on" Yemen Is a Great Idea!

Notice above the word on in quotes.  Our foul support of the Saudi war makes the nation and people of that land the victims of a vicious and stupid campaign that is little more than genocidal.

I suppose that some theory of American foreign policy is served by doing the Saudi's bidding.  Certainly Big Oil is happy to see us do that.

Of course, if we believe that it is good policy, then all the folks who spout about "American Exceptionalism" are hypocrites.  We, at the Neutralist, have long given over to that belief.

There is a moment afoot to restore at least a modicum of our national honor.

At The American Conservative, Daniel Larison has a September 28, 2017 column about the effort in Congress to end U.S. involvement in the Yemeni war.

According to Larison

Democratic Reps. Khanna and Pocan and Republican Reps. Massie and Jones are the co-sponsors of the bill, and they deserve a lot of credit for working on this and bringing attention to a conflict and our government’s role in it. The U.S. role in supporting the war should receive much more scrutiny than it has, and this bill provides members of Congress with the opportunity to debate the indefensible policy that has implicated the U.S. in the crimes of the Saudis and their allies. One of the reasons that U.S. support for the war has gone on for so long with so little opposition is that Congress has failed to challenge the Obama and Trump administrations’ decisions to back the coalition. This bill offers the chance to do what Congress should have been doing for the last two years.

He quotes FP

Democratic Reps. Khanna and Pocan and Republican Reps. Massie and Jones are the co-sponsors of the bill, and they deserve a lot of credit for working on this and bringing attention to a conflict and our government’s role in it. The U.S. role in supporting the war should receive much more scrutiny than it has, and this bill provides members of Congress with the opportunity to debate the indefensible policy that has implicated the U.S. in the crimes of the Saudis and their allies. One of the reasons that U.S. support for the war has gone on for so long with so little opposition is that Congress has failed to challenge the Obama and Trump administrations’ decisions to back the coalition. This bill offers the chance to do what Congress should have been doing for the last two years.

The Neutralist concurs.  Though it rarely works wonders, we urge everyone to contact their reps and tell them you support this gang of four.

Larsson's last paragraph emphasizes the point,

U.S. involvement in the war is not only unauthorized, but it is enabling the commission of war crimes and other violations of international law. Ending that involvement could also be the first step in forcing the coalition to halt its campaign and blockade. All House members should join their four colleagues in calling for a stop to U.S. backing for the disgraceful and atrocious war on Yemen.

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